Friday, June 13, 2014

Charlotte Hernandez Velez: Help Desk Captain / Mother of Chihuahuas

Charlotte, being one Tough Mudder!

If the Help Desk was a pirate ship, Charlotte would (wo)man the ship with a shoulder-parrot, an eye-patch, the notoriety of a salty sea-dog, a peg-leg, and a map that marks the bearings of her crew's plunder. That's right, Charlotte is the captain of the IC Help Desk. Go grab a sextant, and let's set our sails towards knowing more about Charlotte!

Recently, I sat down with Charlotte to ask her some questions so that all of you can get to know just who leads the Help Desk. Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
A: I come from Puerto Rico, and I speak Spanish. Also, I can speak a little Portuguese, and I know a fair amount of American Sign-Language. I love Chihuahuas, and have three of them, Duke, Chans, and Oreo. I put outfits on them all the time. The three of them have coats, booties, Halloween outfits, and T-Shirts. They dislike the booties in particular...

Q: How did you get to SU?
A: I used to work for the Jefferson County government, but I always wanted to work in a campus environment. I went to Shepherd University, and that is where I began to like the small campus, family-style, environment. I applied online at su.edu/careers, and that is how I got here.Q: How long have you been working in technology in total?
A: Twenty years. My love of video games got me started with technology. I started playing Atari, and then I moved to computer games.Q: Do you have any interesting hobbies?
A: Computer gaming: I play all sorts of games. I go from a computer here at work to a computer at home.Q: Do you have any hidden talents?
A: Home decorating and gardening. I love planting, trimming, and creating new garden arrangements. Right now, I live in a townhouse now, so I can only have a very small flower garden.

Q: Do you have any special dance moves?
A: Absolutely! I can dance merengue, salsa, reggaeton, bachata, a little bit of Gypsy, and some tango.Q: Do you have any nicknames that you are aware of?
A: My primary nickname is "Chucky." I have an affinity for collecting knives, and I guess that is why I got that nickname.

Q: Do you have a celebrity look alike that you are aware of?
A: Not that I'm aware of, but I have been told I have twins in New York, Seattle, and Washington. So I do have doppelgangers around the U.S. Q: What does a typical work day in your life consist of?
A: Checking email, work orders, time management. Lots of checking and reviewing. I do not get to personally work on a lot of tickets, but I do enjoy that when I get a chance. Overall, just keeping track and managing the IC Help Desk.

Q: What direct impact do you have on end users at SU?
A: Currently, I hold the record for most password resets at the Help Desk, so that is probably the most direct impact I have had on end users.

Q: If you disappeared in an extra-dimensional pocket for an extended period of time and nobody took over your job responsibilities, what would happen after six months?
A: I think Chad would have to take over because the Help Desk would have to be managed. He would probably lose all of his hair, meaning he would have to shave his head less, because he already does a lot of work.

Q: Do you have any quick pro-tips for end users that can help end users be more successful with the technology that you support?
A: Yes, BACKUP YOUR DATA!!!! The IC Help Desk cannot backup data for you, and we cannot recover data for you. We can provide an external for you, if you want to come in and back up at the Help Desk. Your data is important, and you need to make sure you have backups in case something goes haywire. I recommend backing up every day.

Charlotte is more than just an awesome supervisor over at the help desk, she's an interesting person! When she is at work, she is making sure her team is working efficiently and effectively so that the needs of the SU community are met and surpassed. If you need to get in touch with Charlotte, you can always email her at chernand@su.edu or call the IC Help Desk at #5555.